Agriculture Vocabulary & Terms

A Avian: pertaining to poultry and/or fowl B Barrow: a neutered male pig Beef Cattle: breeds of cattle selected for their meat production Boar: a male pig of any age Bovine: pertaining to cattle Breed: a group of animals with common ancestry, possessing certain inherited characteristics distinguishing them from other groups of animals Breeding: the pairing of a male and a female of the same species to produce offspring Broiler: a chicken of either sex about seven weeks of age Buck: a male goat Bull: a male cattle or bison of any age C Calf: the offspring of a cow Calving: to give birth to a calf Caprine: pertaining to goats Cow: a female cattle or bison of any age Crossbreed: an animal which is the combination of the best traits of two or more animal breeds Cud: food that is brought up from the first compartment of the stomach to the mouth of a ruminant to be re-chewed (ruminants include cattle, goats, sheep, llamas, giraffes, bison, buffalo, deer, wildebeest and antelope) D Dairy Cattle: breeds of cattle suitable for milk production Dam: the female parent of an animal Doe: a female goat Domesticated: animals tamed and tended by humans Down: very fine, soft feathers E Ewe: a female sheep of any age F Farrowing: to give birth to piglets Felting: the process of making a type of cloth from wool using agitation (matting and pressing the fibers) in combination with moisture Fleece: the outer covering of wool on a sheep Flock: a group of animals that live, travel or feed together Forages: plants used for feeding by animals (alfalfa, hay, corn silage or hay crops) G Gilt: a female hog that has not borne a litter of piglets H Heifer: a young female of the cattle species that has not borne a calf Hen: a mature female chicken or turkey Homogenize: the process during which the particles of fat in milk are broken up, so cream (fat) does not separate and rise to the top I Incubation: the process of keeping eggs under controlled conditions of heat and moisture to permit fertile eggs to hatch L Lambing: to give birth to a lamb or lambs Lanolin: a wax secreted by sheep to protect wool fiber; used extensively in cosmetics and lubricants Layer: a female chicken producing eggs regularly Litter: a number of offspring born at the same time from one sow Livestock: domestic farm animals raised for production; examples include beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, swine and poultry M Molting: the shedding of feathers by poultry, accompanied by a reduction or ceasing of egg production for a short period of time Monogastric: having only one stomach or stomach compartment (like humans) O Ovine: pertaining to sheep P Parturition: the act or process of giving birth Pasteurization: the process of heating milk to kill disease-producing bacteria; this helps to prevent spoiling without destroying vitamins or changing taste Piglet: a young pig Poult: a young turkey

Porcine: pertaining to a pig or hog Poultry: chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and other domesticated birds raised for eggs and meat Pullet: a female chicken up to six months of age R Ram: a male sheep of any age Roaster: a young meat bird, ten to 12 weeks old weighing eight to nine pounds Rooster: a male chicken of any age Roughage: feeds high in fiber and low in total digestible nutrients such as hay and silage Ruminant: an animal having a stomach with four compartments; its digestive process is more complex than that of animals having a true (or monogastric) stomach S Shearing: removal of wool from a sheep Sheep: a grass-eating animal that produces meat and wool Silage: an entire plant (stalk, leaves and grain), coarsely chopped, stored green, fermented and used for livestock feed Sire: the male parent of an animal Sow: a mature female hog Steer: a neutered male of the cattle species Swine: another name for hogs T Tom: a male turkey W Wether: a neutered male sheep Wool grading: separating fleece into categories that reflect differences in fiber diameter, length and condition